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James Stewart Needs a New Publicist (Opinion)

In an era where professional motocross here in the United States is reaching for the same level of status and professionalism found in other professional motorsports at the highest level, we were shocked to read the “open letter” distributed by James Stewart yesterday. In our opinion, the letter is both poorly written and ill conceived.

No one will deny that Stewart is a great supercross and motocross rider, but his status as a sportsman is subject to debate. His return to outdoor motocross at Unadilla last weekend was preceded by much anticipation he would dominate both motos. After all, among his other accomplishments, he has a perfect outdoor season to his credit (24 wins in 24 motos), something unprecedented in history, with the lone exception being Ricky Carmichael (who achieved this twice). Instead, Stewart showed up unprepared . . . poorly conditioned and with poor bike set-up. Although he ran near the front in the first moto, and finished in third position, he pulled out of the second moto after just a few laps while running mid-pack .

Of course, we will never know what Roger DeCoster or AMA representatives may have said to Stewart, who concludes in his letter that “he was straight up lied to”, but to expect a place on the Motocross of Nations Team USA (which was awarded to battle-hardened riders who have competed throughout the entire AMA Lucas Oil championship, including Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard and Andrew Short) after 8 months off (apparently, little of which was spent on physical conditioning and outdoor bike set-up) seems more than a bit presumptuous to us, and could have contributed to some dissension among other members of Team USA had he been given a spot under the circumstances.

Roger DeCoster has an incredible record as manager of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations. Don’t doubt for one second that his only goal is putting Team USA on the top of the podium. He has done it many, many times, with a huge variety of riders. To the extent that he has influence over the selection of Team USA (and we believe he has a great deal of influence), we think he would pick the riders who are most likely to be ready, and finish consistently near the front in both motos at the event.

The Motocross of Nations will be held in the United States this year, in Denver, the weekend of September 25th. I am certain that Honda and Suzuki are excited to have riders on Team USA, and that Yamaha is disappointed Stewart will not be there. Had Stewart come back earlier and ridden more of the outdoor tracks in preparation, it is easy to imagine he would have established himself as one of the three guys deserving a spot on the team. Given the circumstances, however, we think his “open letter” comes across as sour grapes, and unprofessional. Here is the full text of Stewart’s open letter.

As many of you already know, last weekend marked my return to racing after wayyy too long off the track, thanks to a broken wrist I suffered in the beginning of the Supercross series. After nearly eight months off, I decided to return for the last four Nationals. This decision was based on a few reasons; first and foremost was my own desire to race again, along with the fact that I owed it to both my fans and my sponsors to come back after spending so much time on the injured list this year.

But the other main reason I chose to come back for the last four, beginning with Unadilla, was because of a discussion I had with the decision makers for Team USA in Colorado this year regarding the Red Bull Motocross of Nations. At the time, I was told that if I was to make my recovery, begin testing, and get back to racing by Unadilla, that I would be given a spot (or at least a shot at a spot) for the final team. Being on the MXoN team in the past has been one of the greatest experiences of my entire career, so after they told me I had a shot, my team and I were excited, and began to get ready to race outdoors!

Of course, we’re a Supercross-only team, so developing our bike to run outdoors with the guys that have been racing at the top level all season long was no easy goal for us… Which brings me to the race at Unadilla. When I got there, I was really excited to get out and practice, and fortunately, practice went pretty well. At that point, the track was still smooth, and though I’ve never loved Unadilla, I was feeling pretty good. My wrist felt great, and my lap times were just about where we expected them to be.

Then, for the first moto, the track got rough and things were a bit different. All of a sudden, we could see some of the lack of preparation shining through; my bike was set up way too stiff for the rough track, but all things considered, I was pretty happy with how I rode. I got into second and my lap times were right there with Dungey’s, and again my wrist was feeling pretty good, so it was all good until I got caught up with a lapper towards the end of the race. Sure I was tired, but for not racing for that long, I was happy to be on the podium. I gave it everything I had, and it was awesome seeing all my fans out there supporting me.

Unfortunately, the second moto didn’t quite go so well. As the track got rougher, our lack of bike preparation showed even more. After getting a bad start, I was just fighting with the bike; it was way too stiff and just not set up properly. At that point, I really had nothing to gain by staying out there, so I just decided to pull off, lick my wounds, and learn from the weekend.

I’m not going to say I didn’t get tired, but given the lack of racing, and the fact that I know where I need to be physically to win, I feel good about Unadilla, overall. Bottom line: We’re a Supercross-only team; we got to Unadilla, and we looked like a Supercross-only team! But my wrist felt better than expected, so with a little bike prep I think we’ll be back on our game.

But back to the MXoN topic. I was really disappointed in how that whole deal went down. Like I said earlier, after being told that if I was to make it back for the last four Nationals, I would be given a shot at being on the team. Well, when I got to Unadilla, apparently the decision had already been made before my bike was even unloaded! So after all that work from me and my team to come back in order to make the des Nations, just like that, the rug was pulled out from under me with no warning. They picked the team already, and I wasn’t on it.

I feel like I was straight-up lied to. Being on the MXoN team is one of the biggest honors and compliments that you be given as a professional rider, and I know that with my injury there was some question as to whether I would be ready or not. I get that; all I wanted was to be even given the original chance they promised me, let me get through a couple races, and hopefully the team could see that I would be ready come September.

At the end of the day, all that really matters to me is that Team USA wins, and I think the team they selected is a solid team that will get the job done. I mean no disrespect to any of those guys, and I hope they kick butt! I’m just bummed that I was given the fair shot that the decision makers from Team USA promised me earlier that I would have.

James: Get off the reality show NOW, put yourself back to training hard NOW and fire all those ***-kissers that follow you around NOW. Re-fire the talent that got you here, work like the devil, take a big dose of humble. Or keep going the way you’re going, finish making a joke out of yourself, then get on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, and get the Teutels to build you a custom cast your ego in the chrome bling it so richly deserves. Park it next to the Lambo . . . .

So let me get this straight, Rossi compound fractures his leg and is back on a bike in 4 weeks, racing competatively a short while after that.
Stewart fractures his wrist and is out for 8 months? Come on who is kidding who here, champions are warriors wanting back in the fight as soon as possible.
Stewart saw a chance for glory and forged ahead, he could not get his way…so didn’t finish the second race.
Can any one imagine the likes of Ward, Carmicheal,Baley,Hanna, and the list goes on, quitting as Stewart did.
He said nothing of pain in his wrist only that his bike was ill prepared. Good enough to finish second in the first moto but not good enough to even ride in the second?
Awesome spectacular rider he may well be, but champion and ambassador of the sport at this point I am not sure.
Prove me wrong James set your bike up ride the remaining races win them all if you can then show up and support the chosen riders at the MX Dnations.
Thats what a champion would do.!!!

No one could have said it any better than this guy did (karlsbad)! The real point of it is we have all seen the behavior of true champions in the sport of motocross. Bailey, Ward, Carmichael, Hannah, DeCoster, O’Mara, Barnett, Glover, Stanton, McGrath, Lackey; the list goes on and on, all guys with both talent and heart, usually more of the latter! First of all, I cannot believe the pu$$@ manuever these guys are pulling where they only race Supercross! Unbelievable! Another argument for another day, but also another example of how far James Stewart is away from the great champions of the sport. As karlsbad said, a great champion would show up at the remaining races, do his best to kick @$$ and then be trackside at the Des Nations to assist/support his fellow American racers. That would be the behavior of a true champion and hopefully, will be the advice given to Stewart by someone who cares about him. Meanwhile, he is fast becoming “that guy who could have been”, that guy with the brilliant talent but just couldnt get out of his own way. Ron LeChien comes to mind and I knew handful after handful of talented local and regional guys who just could’nt be bothered to do the work it takes. Stewart needs an “intervention”, a sit-down with Ronnie LeChien and Ricky Carmicheal where some reality lessons are imparted. I bet Ronnie especially has pertinent advice. It is such a waste to see such raw talent, such an amazing rider, pure physical genius in mechanical human motion on a mx bike, so deeply and utterly lost. Such a waste. “Supercross only”, INDEED!

Norm has his stuff together on this. Stewart understood
that he still had a chance to make the team. Found
out differently. Now frustrated. Felt he
needed to explain himself to fans & sponsors.
It was important to him.
But let Decoster manage. Democracies don’t work, even
in democracies. 🙂

If James was told he had a shot at the team if he proved himself in the last 4 nationals he has a right to be upset…now all he can do is train hard and do well so that the team can see they made a mistake. To see how badly he wants to represent the US is inspiring. I predict he will be motivated to dominate like days of old and hope he does.

What do you guys say, could it be possible we start some kind of boycott of the sx only teams? write them tell them about their misstakes and so on, contact the industry, tv all the media and just let the word out that this is not what we, the hardcore mx AND sx fans want for our sport. I think this could make things happen if we do it together, after all the money that runs the teams has to come from us amateurs in the beginning right?
No bikes sold…. no teams….u get what i mean

When you consider that Stewart is arguably the most talented and fastest MX rider ever, he has been an underperformer most of his career. Just like Lawrence, Alessi, and Pastrana, he’s made a lot of dumb decisions on and off the track. Hopefully, his other career as a minor celebrity will work out because he is missing a couple pieces of the puzzle needed to be on par with some of the great riders of this sport…

the correct answer here is that they were both right in as much as they were both wrong. so guess what, i condemn the BOTH of ’em. i’m a big fan of stewart, but i’m even BIGGER fan of the motorcycling industry and the sub-set of racing. to think you’re going to come back after 8 months off unfit and be on team MXDN is ridiculous…!? however (comma), it is equally ridiculous for an entity (or individual) to make promises and then NOT live up to them. nevermind the context, that’s poor business ethics 101 REGARDLESS of the field of endeavour.

sorry, decoster, the AMA, or whomever…? you’re no more “entitled” to a free pass on YOUR bad behavior/decision making than stewart is for his. this is not wall street. hell, it’s barely main street. increased profile of the sport or not, get it thru your heads, the motorcycle industry is STILL a very small and closely-knit field relative to others (hell, the racing niche is even smaller) so this kind of behaviour is considered ESPECIALLY eregious, destructive, and worthy of being frowned upon. if you “F” it up, make no mistake, it will all go away in short order. whether you’re in the MX pits at unidilla…? or in the roadracing paddock at VIR…? if your in a position of power and draw an income off this industry…? your word had DAMN sure better count for something.

having said that, with MXDN being september and unidilla being august, that leaves roughly what…? 30 days….? c’mon, there’s NO WAY on God’s green anyone should still be deciding team members with that little time left (even for a talent like stewart). so the ama/decoster/whoever is correct in YES, the team should be squared away by now. it’s called “managing expectations”. i have to do it with people everyday and they failed at it. the only reason stewart responded the way he did is because someone GAVE HIM an expectation in the first place. cause and effect this. if you ever want to devine the correct answer on anything, one must review FULLY through the sequence of events. it’s critical we dont stop short half way thru the process.

back at colorado, the kid should’ve NEVER been told that he would be anything more than a back-up plan. they should’ve leveled with him and said… “look kid, out of respect for ALL PARTIES involved, we have a responsibility to make a decision by X date… whether your fit or not come august doesn’t matter… we can’t wait around until unadilla to decide something of this magnitude”. now stewart, if MXDN was such a “great experience” for you then you should’ve had more respect for your yourself, your fellow competitors, team MXDN, and the sport overall and showed up fit and prepared. by your own admission you were NOT. and that’s fit and prepared for an ALTERNATE spot and nothing more…! it’s the best you could’ve achieved considering the circumstances. respect the industry son.

If you couldn’t ascertain that from his letter , you have very poor reading comprehension or you’re a homer of epic proportions for James Stewart. Either way, sad for you.

dug says:
August 19, 2010 at 1:03 pm

Umm, can someone point out what is so bad about James’ letter? I don’t regularly follow the dirt stuff, but I am aware of Stewart and his talent. I didn’t see anything in the letter that screamed “whiner,” “crybaby,” or “unprofessional.” In fact, it was sort of a breath of fresh air to actually see the rider’s opinion uncut by the media relations censors. If he feels he was lied to, why wouldn’t he have the right to say so? It doesn’t mean he _was_ lied to, but it certainly gives him access to an apology if he is mistaken, without losing face. I know I would be upset to find that the carrot dangled in front of my face was never intended to be mine at all. Whatever the outcome, I wish him the best in his continued recovery and return to form.

I think James Stewart took a page out of Brett Favre’s book with the “show up at the last minute and let me play” type move. Problem is the Vikings are a bunch of “pushovers” that put up with that sort of behavior, Roger DeCoster obviously is not.

I am a fan of James but agree with the article. James is a paid representative of his sponsors and served them poorly in this case IMHO. The letter appears to have been written in anger, and should not have been sent. He has not paid his dues in MX the last two seasons and should not be entitled to representing the US at the MXDN over riders who are currently in top form.

Watching his Bubba reality show, he seems like a confused, frustrated, immature child. He grew up in a vacuum created by his family and his race team handlers. He has been isolated from ‘real life’ for his entire life. His general perceptions are now somewhat skewed. In a way I feel bad for him.

The decision was made before he raced,so it didn’t matter what he did on the track! I think the decision was political…Who does Roger work for? I think James just rides for the wrong brand, according to Roger anyway!

Ah uh, wrong man, sorry to say but it seems you didnt take part in the mxdn school did u ?
Take a moment google around and read about who´s been in and who´s not and you will find that Roger definitely dont chose the riders from what brand of bike. Bubba has been in on Kawa, as where Vilopoto, Windham on Honda, Ferry on Yamaha…. you need to check things out b4 making statements like that. Bubba couldnt say it better himself, ” we´re a supercross only team” And talking that talk he could stay out for all time from mxdn if u ask me. It slowly kills the sport we love these new sx only deals.

His letter wasn’t bad at all. At least he wrote it himself and expressed his feelings not some PR bull****. Maybe he was lied to. Who knows? He chooses to do SX only so that and his injury probably did him in. There’s always next year. This wasn’t even close to what LeBron James did. Go USA!

Never been a big fan of Stewart, but I had started to believe that he had matured beyond the bratty little kid that we were first introduced to when he turned pro. He had seemed to develop some humility after getting whipped by RC outdoors and as he realized that he had repeatedly blown the opportunity to ever tie McGrath in national titles – much less tie RC. However, this letter seems to indicate that the perceived maturity was simply a facade learned at the request of his handlers.

As others have stated, DeCoster should be applauded for choosing a team based on actual performance rather than hype or promise. James is not handicapped by his employment on a supercross-only team. Instead, he is handicapped by his selfish decision to evolve into a supercross-only rider despite the apparent ability to dominate in both disciplines.

Of course, I’m just an old guy remembering the tradition of MX. While I tolerate the SX season, I still view that circus as the off-season gimmick that it originally started as. The real season begins in May.

By the way, what is more troubling beyond Stewart’s letter is the sympathy expressed for him by some of the comments herein.

I agree with you Tom…. most here are jumping to the concusion that Stewart is telling us the facts…but the ego ALWAYS changes the facts when it feels blame & must rationalize, justify & minimize our responsibility in whatever negative situation occurs.
There are 2 issues in my opinion in the letter..
1. Stewart was not prepared to race Unadilla either physically or bike setup-wise & QUIT the 2nd Moto
2. He seemed to believe or at least hoped that making a showing at Unadilla might get him a spot on MX Des Nations team USA.

Could it be that he felt so embarrassed or humiliated by basically quitting the 2nd Moto that this is what he is expressing in his letter? That’s how I read it. RC or McGrath would have NEVER not finished the 2nd Moto. This letter sounds like Stewarts excuse for quitting by using a little diversionary tactic to draw people into the MX Des Nation issue. How could Team USA select Stewart over more deserving riders when he couldn’t even finish 2 Motos’??? Team USA made the right move & remember… we do not know when the decision was made nor what Stewart was told, etc…

The fact that a lot of people here side with Stewart without pause is troubling… just be cause Stewart WAS a good rider does not mean he still IS a good rider. He IS NOT & will NEVER be in the class of an RC or McGrath skill-wise & surely not mature professional athlete-wise… too immature…

I’m reminded of LeBron James’ recent TV show regarding his team transfer. Many of the current generation were raised watching the publicity stunts of Michael Jackson and Angelina Jolie, and it shows. Financial wealth and success in one’s chosen field is not necessarily connected to emotional maturity.

I don’t appreciate the “Supercross only” attitude as it comes off as if to say that out door or traditional motocross is somehow second rate when in fact it is not. That being said, the whole letter to me comes of as some kind of poor loosers internet forum rant.

I cannot agree more with most of you who find this letter ridiculous. I can completely understand why DeCoster did not pick him for the team. If the other 18 riders out there on any given race decided to pull up and park it in the garage when it looked like they would not get a podium spot, we would wind up with only three or four who finish each race. It is harder to be a good loser than a good winner. Clearly, James is not a good loser. It appears his priority is not competing but rather the fame that comes along with the win. I do not see RC pulling his car into the pits because he is mid pack. He stays out there and competes just like the rest of the pack. I lost a lot of respect for Bubba from this letter.

Stewart is a great talent in Motocross/Supercross no dought. Stewart isn’t smart enough to know when or what not to say. If his bike was too stiff the first moto it should have been changed for the second. Should have used the settings from last year as a starting point not Supercross settings. Excuses don’t work. Decoster based his decision on performance. If you can’t get on the podium you don’t deserve to ride in MDN. Ricky Carmichael could park his race truck and have done better than Stewart. Stewart did get a shot at MDN, too bad Stewart was shooting blanks. The USA has won the last 5 MDN events and Stewart helped in two of them. He wasn’t going to be a help this year so he isn’t in. Simple

I don’t agree, if it’s true that he was promised a shot at the team like he said then they chose it anyway then he has a right to be upset. Good on him for saying what he thinks and standing up for himself. At the end of the day people want to watch him race and the fans have been ripped off from seeing him race. They should have named him in the team and had someone lined up as a back up.

Just ask yourself one thing if you went to watch the MXDN you would want to see the best and I’m sure James would have performed.

Let’s see: “…people…want to watch him race…” Too bad he stopped racing in the 2nd event. “…I’m sure James would have performed.” That is unknown and unknowable. He showed his stuff in the 2nd race, remember?

Too bad he couldn’t have gotten on a Gibbs bike. I’m not one of his fans but he is the greatest talent I’ve ever seen on a bike. Setup obviously isn’t one of his talents. This is the wakeup call he needed. Now we’ll see what he’s made of. He might’ve thought he could ride anything past all those guys, out of shape, unprepared. He used to be able to, but he had a mechanic to get him equal machinery setup properly. That mechanic is now with Gibbs. I’d like to see him take a paycut and get with a real team.

I think it is unfair to bag on James for his reaction to this delema. First if he was told what he said he was told and he prepaired a comeback based on this information only to be told it was all for nothing even befor he unloaded his bike this would have been very hard for anyone to swallow. What if James had gone out and smoked the whole field of riders by a large margin? then everyone would be all over someone else wouldn’t they.
I believe it was unfair not to allow James to compete for a spot on the Team as promised
to him. Shame on everyone who thinks he just quit, maybe he did what was best for his wrist rehab, by not pushing it in a no win situation. People just need to back off!!

Aah, That curse of the times rears it’s ugly head again. A sense of entitlement seems epidemic these days. I’m glad that the selection team went with those that worked for it and not someone who seems to think he just needed to show up.

Seriously, are you surprised over these words from JS ?
I think its time now for De coster and all the AMA and motocross industry to step up and support the warriors out there that do the WHOLE motocross season and make a statement its not ok with the ” supercross only kind of behaviour if you want to ride the MXoN.
If James dont see what he is doing to the guys who fights the whole season with this letter. In my oppinion its devastating to the sport motocross if this is what we will have in the years coming. And seriously, if a guy like JS really had his heart in the sport and really wanted to do the outdoors more serious again, who thinks there isnt any team around that will support him? Or is it only bout the $$$ for JS ?
MXoN never was and never will be the big money race, its about doing something for your country and fellow motocrossers, for once as a team, and the respect to earn a spot there will hopefully never come through arrogance and superiour attitude.

Without a doubt, Roger DeCoster has once again picked the right racers to represent TeamUSA at the MXoN. Bubba is a great rider and an exciting competitor, but Dungey, Canard and Short have all EARNED their positions on the team.

I look forward to seeing Stewart compete against Dungey, Canard and Short in the coming SX season. It should be a great season.

Learning how to communicate takes a lifetime of effort. A college education does hurt either. Unfortunately, eletronic media leaves little room for diplomacy and prevents the chance of a do-over. Hope it works out for him…

Wow. I can only think that Stewart insisted on pushing his personal opinion here against the advice of his PR person (I assume someone with his income and celebrity has a PR person or team). I’m not even sure what the goal of this release is, unless it’s simply to churn up some (negative) media attention for Bubba.

He states that he got to Unadilla and still thought he was in the running? Were he or his people talking to Decoster and the MXoN decision makers and trying to make their case? Or too arrogant to bother negotiating with the little people? I don’t really even follow motocross and I knew Team USA had already made the decision prior to Unadilla, thanks to a press release right here on MD a couple weeks ago.

And why repeat several times that “we are a Supercross only team” if your stated wish is to run outdoors in Sept.? Everything about this release is wrong, from the standpoint of professional PR and James’ future career. If he’s just trying to score points in some vendetta against Roger D or Team USA, this isn’t a very effective effort. As the previous writer implied, it’s sure to turn many Bubba fans off.

While there’s no question in my mind that Stewart is likely the best MXer and SXer out there, it’s also not reasonable to think that missing 8 months of competition isn’t going to affect your MXoN selection chances. I’m sure they told him he’d have a chance months ago, unaware of how time would proceed and the selection process would develop. Had he kept in close contact with Mr. DeCosta throughout his injury period I doubt this would come as quite the surprise it did.

Umm, can someone point out what is so bad about James’ letter? I don’t regularly follow the dirt stuff, but I am aware of Stewart and his talent. I didn’t see anything in the letter that screamed “whiner,” “crybaby,” or “unprofessional.” In fact, it was sort of a breath of fresh air to actually see the rider’s opinion uncut by the media relations censors. If he feels he was lied to, why wouldn’t he have the right to say so? It doesn’t mean he _was_ lied to, but it certainly gives him access to an apology if he is mistaken, without losing face. I know I would be upset to find that the carrot dangled in front of my face was never intended to be mine at all. Whatever the outcome, I wish him the best in his continued recovery and return to form.

Bubba Scrubs… I try really hard to like this kid. Really I do. After RC though I am really seeing alot of the younger generation mentality coming through. Nobody wants to work for anything. They think everything is owed to them. He took up a gate spot at a national just to pull off and quit? I would give anything to have a 10th of the natural talent that kids got little lone to be on the gate at Unidilla. Man I dont know… I never quit a race running 250C class that meant nothing really to anybody but me. But that is me, I pride my self in never quiting or giving up. All I can say is none of the guys picked for MXoN would quit a moto. DeCoster knows his shtuff, his word is gold with many many people. I wouldnt second guess his decision one bit. And this letter just makes Bubba look really really bad. Like a little whiney Bi*&%. Dirtbikers are hardcore, not whining “I was Lied to”. Shut up dude! You know how many times normal people are lied to at work?! You are a Millionare on a full ride. Do your dam job and show us whatcha got!